THE ROLE OF BANKS IN UTILIZATION OF THE EU FUNDS

The favorable economic policy can trigger positive reactions from the business entities resulting in increasing the level of investments (capital, technological, information as well as in knowledge) and economy competitiveness. The level of investments depends, among others, on accessibility of investment funding. In most cases, enterprises fund the developmental investments with own as well as external sources. Use of the EU funds in business development reduces the costs of investment considerably because it is possible to obtain up to 50% grant-in-aid after completing the modernization project. Enterprises must, however, fund the investment project first to be able to apply for reimbursement of a part of the developmental expenditures. Until that time they use the support of commercial banks, which take active part in programming and utilization of funds allocated for Poland. This paper shows the role of banks in utilization of the EU funds allocated for development of Polish enterprises.